Jason the Hero
by Eviefan
Summary: A new girl in his class needs his help. Jason and Rebecca decide to lend her a hand leading to dangers and adventure that neither one of them could have counted on. Please Review.. Ch 5 is up.
1. Chapter 1

**Jason the Hero**

**Chapter 1: The New Girl**

As soon as his father parked the car, Jason grabbed his backpack and was on his way to the school, relieved that he wouldn't have to endure anymore songs playing from his sister's Care Bears Movie. Just as he opened the door in front of the school, someone grabbed his free arm. Jason turned around to find Rebecca behind him giggling. "What?" he asked as they entered the building together.

"I didn't say anything," she answered even though she was trying not to laugh more.

"I know what you're thinking and just because of that, well, it doesn't mean I always know who's coming up behind me. Anyway we can't talk about it – he's just outside," Jason said lowering his voice, hoping that his father wasn't using his hearing at the moment.

Rebecca nodded and cleared her throat. "You just missed the big entrance. Evidently the Mayor's daughter is going to be in our class this year. They brought her in a stretch limo. I kind of feel sorry for her though; did you know she was actually wearing knee highs with a short skirt?"

It wasn't like his best friend to gossip and Jason rolled his eyes as they got to their lockers. "Yeah, and when did looks matter? I thought you said you didn't like gossip?"

"Well, I don't, but she's just in for a rough time if she doesn't find someone to tell her that the style is out. So Michaela's coming here for kindergarten?"

"Yep, if mom and dad can get away from her. She was excited about it until she realized that they would not be staying like they did for her interview." They finished at their lockers and walked the short distance to their home room class. Their school housed levels K through 12, and was the same Montessori Jason had attended since he was in Kindergarten. The upper-level classes were a bit more structured, but still fun and as they entered the room, Rebecca sought out Claire and Gretchen while Jason found Mike and Ben. Just as he sat down, ready to talk with his friends, Mr. Turner came in shutting the door which got their attention. He was not as much fun as most of the other teachers and demanded order, something that drove Jason crazy at times.

"Did you see the new girl?" Mike whispered as Mr. Turner sat down at his desk.

"Not yet. Is that her?" His friends looked up in front of the class and nodded but before more could be said roll call began and everyone was quiet.

Homeroom lasted a half hour in which time Mr. Turner made sure everyone knew the rules of his class, the most important being that no one could talk without raising their hand. If any of the rules were violated punishment involved a ten page paper written on why it was important to follow them. As class let out, Jason noticed some of the girls making fun of the Mayor's daughter and frowned.

"Leave it, she'll get the hint soon enough," Mike said elbowing him in the side as they walked down the hall. Their first real class of the day was science and Jason found himself paired up with Rebecca and the new girl. As they sat down on the stools in front of their work stations, Jason took a breath and introduced himself to her.

"My name is Sarah," she finally said keeping her eyes focused on the table in front of them. She sounded sad, almost lost and Jason felt sorry for her. "So um, do you live in the city?"

"No, we live just outside the city on a ranch. Daddy has a lot of property. He has horses, race horses."

She still wasn't looking at them as she talked and Jason could tell by the tone in her voice and the way she slouched further forward that talk of her personal life was uncomfortable.

As if on cue, Rebecca began to tell her about the school, about how long she had been here, and about her favorite classes. That seemed to make Sarah more comfortable because she looked at them as she began to talk again.

"Mr. Kent, maybe you can tell us a little about symbiosis." Miss Christian said as she came to stand next to their station. They had been assigned summer reading and Jason shut his eyes trying to remember what that that was all about, wishing he had his father's eidetic memory. "Uh, it has something to do with plants," he offered as she cleared her throat.

Everyone else around him began to laugh, but Miss. Christian was not impressed. "Maybe it will come back to you if you write a report on that, which I expect on my desk in the morning." Miss Christian was new and already Jason didn't like her.

When she was far enough away Sarah poked him and passed him a note. On it she had written that she was sorry. "Don't be, she's got a bug up her ass," he said, making both girls have to hold their mouths so that they wouldn't start giggling.

* * *

At lunch, Jason sat with Mike, Ben and a few of their other friends, and everyone seemed interested in what he had told Sarah and Rebecca about the new science teacher. "Wait, did Rebecca tell you?" he asked hoping she hadn't.

"Jack heard what you said, you really did say it?" Paul asked.

"Yep, she's got a bug up her ass," he repeated as everyone around him began to laugh. It was rather funny to think about, and Jason started to laugh with them before he heard someone clear their throat. He lifted his head and found the Headmistress standing there with her arms crossed in front of her. "Oh, hi," he said as he began to sweat.

"Jason, I need you to come with me."

Ignoring the guys as they began to whistle and make fun of him, Jason got his pack and after hefting it over his left shoulder he followed her out of the lunch room. All he needed was to have another paper assigned to him or worse his mom and dad called in because he was saying swear words.

"We are having a hard time with your sister. She has been upset since your parents left her in her class, and has hidden under one of the smaller shelves. I was hoping you might be able to get her to come out so that her teacher can talk to her."

Instantly, Jason was relieved that he wasn't going to get called on what he had said in the lunch room, though now he felt a little annoyed at being pulled away. Michaela was shy, and had never dealt well with new situations, and Jason hoped that she would listen to him and not get all weepy.

Her class was one he remembered well and without being told which shelves she was hiding under, Jason made his way to the far end of the class and knelt down. "Michaela," he called out.

"Want Mommy," she whispered, so softly that without his super hearing it would have been hard to understand her.

"I know you do," Jason answered as he sat down on the floor. "Did you know that this was my classroom?"

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah, I did. I didn't have the same teacher you have now, but I really liked it. I loved drawing pictures for mom and dad," Jason said thinking about Richard. Michaela didn't know about him and he wondered if they would ever tell her about that time in his life.

"I don't like Gina. She took my doll away and I told her it wasn't very nice but she said I was stupid. I told the teacher and she said I'm a tattle tale. I want to go see Mommy."

Jason sighed and shut his eyes. "If she takes it again then you take it back. She'll figure it out pretty fast that you're not going to let her be mean to you and she'll stop."

"I want Mommy," she whispered as she began to cry again.

Jason stood up, feeling bad for the little squirt. He looked around and saw a little girl with red hair push down another girl, and wondered if that was Gina. The teacher went to her and led her over to a chair he remembered well, The Time Out Chair. "Hey, I think they put her in time out. Michaela, you need to come out now, okay?"

Her teacher came back to them and together they managed to coax her out for story time, so long as Jason sat with her. He looked at his wrist watch and saw that he was missing History, something he didn't really mind as he sat down on the floor hugging his sister as she sat on his lap. The fact that the Ms. Grace was reading _The Little Engine that Could_ seemed to comfort Michaela. It was a story she loved to hear and when it ended she ran eagerly to a small round table gabbing away with another little girl. Jason took his leave of her, hoping that she would make it through the rest of the day.

* * *

By the time two o'clock rolled around, Jason had a mountain of homework to go along with the stupid paper on symbiosis. He went down to the first floor and found Michaela standing in line with all of the other kindergarteners. She was talking to the same girl he had left her with and didn't notice him as he walked up to her. "Are you ready to go see Mommy and Daddy?"

"No, I am going home with Cora."

"Not until you ask permission," he said as he took her hand. She didn't try and pull away from him but drug her feet as they went out to the buses. Having to watch after Michaela was not Jason's idea of fun and when he got on behind her he saw Preston Jones and tried to ignore the older boy's expression.

"Hey look, Kent has to hang around the little babies."

The boys around him began to cackle and Michaela turned and ran behind him. "Shut up," Jason muttered as he walked past them.

"What did you say to me?" Preston asked as he stood up. He was a whole foot taller and grabbed Jason by his upper arm.

"You heard me," Jason said as he reached out with his free hand and held on to his sister. He knew he shouldn't start anything especially with Michaela with him, but Preston was a jerk and knew exactly how to stir things up.

"I think you need a lesson in respecting your superiors," Preston said.

"Alright, you two, sit your butts down before I send both of you to the Headmistress," yelled the bus driver.

Preston backed off and Jason guided his frightened sister to the back of the bus. He sat down next to Sarah and lifted Michaela onto his lap hugging her close.

"He wanted to hurt you," Michaela whispered.

"Nah, he's just like that girl in your class. He wouldn't have done anything," Jason reassured as Sarah offered them a cookie.

The cookie made his sister happy, something Jason was grateful for and on the way Michaela told Sarah about her new dolly. "My Nanna got her when she was in China, and I named her China. She wears real baby clothes and a real diaper. I want to bring her in for show and tell."

Sarah smiled at her, and Jason leaned his head back, shutting his eyes as he focused his hearing on what Preston and the other boys were saying. Sometimes it bugged him that he didn't have any more abilities than just his hearing and his speed. He was also pretty strong and it took a great deal more to hurt him than most of the boys his age. Lucius Fox once told him that his body would likely stay dormant longer than his father's had. He said that the virus was the cause, and even though he had been healed there was no telling what the long-term effects would be.

When the bus finally stopped, Michaela wanted to stay with Sarah, and Preston and his friends were making fun of him again. "Come on, Kayla, we will see Sarah tomorrow."

Reluctantly, his sister took his hand and Jason kept her on the safe side away from Preston as they passed him up. "Tomorrow, behind the school," Jason said

"I'll look forward to it, Kent."

* * *

As soon as they entered the bullpen and Michaela saw their father she let go of his hand and ran as fast as she could straight into his arms. Jason picked up her small backpack which she had dropped and carried it past the workstations and into one of the small meeting rooms. He wasn't much in the mood to talk and had his mind on tomorrow. Fighting Preston would land him in a heap of trouble but something had to give.

"Jason, how was your day?" asked Clark as he entered the room.

"Fine, I guess. I need to use your computer. I have to look up some stuff on symbiosis for a paper due in the morning."

"I don't have any more to write today, so that will work out. Is something wrong?"

That was something that bugged him at times, his father's ability to know when something wasn't quite right. Jason sighed. "We have a couple of new teachers this year. They are a lot stricter about things, more structured I guess. We don't have as many small groups as we did when I was in primary school; I guess it's just harder to get used to.

When his dad sat down next to him Jason sighed. "Dad, why do you and Mom always say that fighting never solves anything? I mean, look at Superman and Batman, they are both strong and smart, a lot more than criminals, so why don't they just lay down the law?"

"Why don't you and I take a walk?"

For a split second, Jason thought about staying where he was, but then he stood up and followed his father out through the bullpen, and into the lobby. They rode the elevator to the rooftop and when they arrived and without a word, he walked over to the edge of the building. Looking down on the city from this height made everything look like some of his old toys.

"Jason?"

"Why can't you and Uncle Bruce just make them afraid?" He asked as he turned slowly around, avoiding looking at his dad. It made him mad at times that they didn't lay down the law. Uncle Bruce was more forceful in his methods, and Jason didn't get why his father couldn't do the same.

Clark knelt down in front of him and Jason looked up at him. "Jason, you know why I don't use force. Showing them by example has always been the way I help other people. Yes, there are times when I want to do more, but that was not the way your Grandfather or your Granny raised me."

"But before you knew did you ever fight anyone?"

"No, I once showed off. There was a boy named Brad who was on the football team and he…" His dad paused for a moment and stood up. "Jason, I have to go. Tell your mom I shouldn't be too long, and we will talk about this some more when I come back."

Jason watched as his father launched into the air and in a few seconds there was no sign of him. He walked slowly back into the building and thought about what he would do tomorrow. The other thing he hadn't considered was that he likely wouldn't get very far by having the fight at school. It would be broken up before it started, but if it were to take place after school somewhere in Centennial Park, there wouldn't be one thing school could do to him.

* * *

"Jason, where did you go, and where is Daddy?"

"Michaela," Jason muttered suddenly remembering that she would be with him. "He had to do some stuff." Jason walked past her back into the meeting room. After getting his science book he went over to their father's desk finding his sister playing on the computer. "Hey, squirt, I need to do my homework."

"But Mommy said I could use this one," she whined

Not willing to argue with her, Jason walked over to his mother's desk waiting for her to stop typing. "Mom, I need to use Dad's computer to look some stuff up on a report, but Michaela is on it."

"I'm just about done with mine," Lois said as she stood up. Jason followed her back and in a moment he had a relatively quite place to work.

* * *

It was almost seven thirty when they got home that night, and while his dad got his sleeping sister out of the car, Jason headed into the house where he was greeted by Lucky. He dropped his bag and let her jump up on him, laughing as she licked his face. "I missed you, too."

"Jason, go on and take her out," his mom said as she passed them by.

Lucky had a doggy door, which led to a fenced-in area in back of the yard, but when they were home she got free run and she needed that before everyone went to bed. Jason walked back out the garage door laughing as Lucky ran out ahead of him jumping around and barking. It was still daylight, and Jason chased her around before playing her favorite game, fetch. He could throw the ball almost all the way into the woods, which gave Lucky plenty of exercise.

Once Lucky was tired out, almost a full hour later, Jason went to his room and got ready for bed. He had managed to finish everything they had assigned him and was quite sure his brain would explode with all of the stuff he had learned. His paper on symbiosis turned out to be seven pages, and his mom had even been impressed, which meant he should get a good grade unless Miss Christian had something against him, and that would be his luck.

Once he was ready for bed, and Lucky had snuggled in next to him, Jason thought about tomorrow. His dad hadn't had a chance to talk to him, and was already gone again, which didn't help. There was a small part of him that considered talking to Bruce about all of this but Jason put that out of his mind. His other problem was Michaela. If she saw him fight she would get really upset and that would add to his trouble. Somewhere among all of his thinking, Jason did manage to go to sleep, and dreamed about flying around the world with Rebecca and Sarah.

* * *

By lunch the next day, Jason had heard it from several people that Preston had his number, but really didn't care.

"Why didn't you show up, did you chicken out?" Mike asked as he began to cackle.

Frustrated by Mike's constant questions, Jason put his fork down and glared across the table at him. "Hmm, let's think about it. If I would have shown up how far do you think I would have gotten?" He asked as he stood up and gathered up his things. "Maybe I have other plans that will work out better, something that will let this fight get to an end. So why don't you and everyone else just get off my back for a while and let me take care of where I'll deal with Preston?" Jason stormed away, feeling somewhat vindicated after that.

As he was getting into his locker Jason heard Rebecca's approach and shut his eyes.

"You aren't going to go through with it are you?" Rebecca asked as he emptied his books into the small space and got what he needed for his first three classes.

"I wasn't going to but now it's what they want," Jason answered as he shut and locked everything back up.

"And since when did you start listening to the stupid squad?"

Jason turned around to face her. "Rebecca, he's never going to lay off until I do something, and I'm not going to break anything, besides if he hits me hard enough and say he does break something is it really my fault?"

"You're despicable, Jason Kent." Rebecca stormed off toward their first class of the day but Sarah stayed by his side. "So um…" He wasn't really sure what to say to her.

"If you fight him, who's going to watch Michaela?"

"I haven't figured that one out yet," he answered truthfully.

"My father is out of town, I could come with you two, but I think Rebecca is right. That sort of thing isn't always the best way, I, well, I just don't think you should." She walked off toward the station they shared and Jason heaved a deep sigh, feeling confused.

* * *

Ben was the one who delivered his note to Preston, and Jason managed to get on the bus with Sarah and Michaela before they did. By the time Preston arrived, Sarah had Michaela distracted and Jason watched him as he cracked his knuckles before he sat down.

There would be a wait while Preston and his goons got off at the next bus stop, but not enough of one for Jason to get Michaela up to their parents and try and find an excuse to get back down to the other end of the park. He really hoped that his dad would be out of town, because the fight would be short-lived if he wasn't. Jason knew well that with his super hearing his father would know about the fight, and more so if Michaela saw any of it and started to panic.

As they got off the bus, Preston cracked his knuckles again and Jason laughed at him, feeling reckless as he did.

"Jason, why is Sarah getting off the bus with us?" Michaela asked as it pulled away.

"Well, we wanted to take you to the park," he said, smiling, as his sister did a little dance. She loved the park and Jason had a feeling this would all work out. They went over to the lake and while Michaela and Sarah played on the merry-go-round, Jason snuck away from them and went to his meeting place. Upon his arrival Jason found Mike, Ben, and a half dozen of their friends milling around the statue of Superman. Ignoring their questions, Jason looked up at the replica of his father trying to swallow the sudden fear he felt about going through with this.

All too soon Jason heard Preston laughing and shut his eyes listening for his sister first. She was still playing which was good.

"What's the matter, Kent, you having second thoughts?"

He opened his eyes to find Preston towering in front of him. Without hesitation Jason let out a yell and plowed into the taller boy knocking him off his feet and on his butt in just a small second. Jason went for the face landing one good punch before Preston pushed him off. Almost losing his balance, but not quite, Jason steadied himself and avoided a punch to his own face. The second one landed against his left side and Jason gasped in pain as another one took his breath away from him. Focusing hard on speed, Jason launched toward Preston again knocking him on his back side.

"Get him, Jason," Mike yelled. That encouragement was all he needed. Jason punched Preston right in the nose, causing him to bleed and groan at the same time. "Had enough yet?"

"You little shit," Preston spat.

Jason punched him against his right cheek harder than he had meant to, and more blood came pouring out of his mouth. That was when he heard her crying. He got up and turned around to find Michaela watching him with big tear-filled eyes while Sarah tried to comfort her. As he started toward them, something big and heavy knocked him off of his feet. Jason hit the ground as Michaela started to scream for Superman and all of the other kids took off.

Preston turned him over and got in a few good punches as Jason tried to cover his face. Suddenly the weight on the lower half of his body was gone, and as Jason coughed and wheezed he heard his mom's voice and his dad's, but his head was hurting to much to focus on them. Fighting had been a bad move on his part, really bad.

What he didn't realize was that he was still covering his face and that he was shaking as though someone had dropped him in ice-cold water. "Jason," said his mom from his left side. He felt her hands moving his away and shut his eyes so he didn't have to look at her.

"Oh, Jason," was all she said, and he felt like crying. His whole body hurt and he felt like he was going to lose his lunch if anyone moved him.

"Can you sit up?"

He rolled on his right side, the one side that didn't feel like he was being stabbed by knives and pushed up using his right arm to support himself. That was when his nose started to bleed.

The moment his mom tried pinching it closed while holding a handkerchief to it Jason cried out and nearly fell backward as his breathing became labored. "Where is… where is Michaela?"

"She's safe," Lois said as they heard an ambulance approaching. His mom sounded scared and Jason fought to gain some semblance of control before they came to take him away. "Mom, I'm fine," Jason tried even though his nose continued to bleed.

"You are most certainly _not_ fine." The tone of her voice had changed and Jason knew he wouldn't get his way in this.

* * *

It wasn't enough that he had a broken rib and another one that was fractured, or that his nose had been broken. Along with that Jason was also grounded for at least the next three weeks, which meant no TV, no reading for fun, and staying in his room unless he needed to use the bathroom. Now as he lay in his bed still in a great amount of pain, he also felt guilty. His father had not said a word to him since they had come home from the hospital, and Jason tried to think about what they had said about Preston who had also gotten a broken nose and had lost a few teeth as well. That was little comfort as his thoughts turned to his sister who had still been upset when they arrived.

"Jason?"

He turned his head slowly toward the door and saw Michaela standing there dressed for bed in a pink princess nightgown. "Come here," he whispered and she obeyed walking slowly to his side.

"I'm very sad. You hurt that boy, and he hurt you. Why did you do that, Jason?"

It was painful, but Jason moved over and in a moment Michaela was resting beside him. "I did it so he would leave us alone. He's always been mean, and sometimes you have to show guys like that who's really in charge." Even though he spoke the words, Jason wasn't convinced of that theory anymore and Michaela seemed able to see through that.

"That's not true and you know. I didn't push Gina because she would just get meaner. You need to say you're sorry and then you can be friends with him."

Michaela's way of thinking was so simple and innocent, and Jason wished the world was like that but he knew better. "Yeah, maybe."

"Tell me a story, Jason."

"Once, a very long time ago there was a beautiful planet. It was really cold there and the buildings were not like the ones we have here on earth. They were much grander you see, made of crystals."

"Like the crystal earrings Mommy has?"

"Yep, just like those. You see, this planet was a great place to live, even though it was cold because they didn't fight like we do here. Everyone got along and worked to make life better. It was a really great place to be and the people thought that they would live like that for all time. But there were two people, a very smart man named Jor-El and his wife Lara who knew that there was something very wrong."

Michaela yawned and Jason winced as she snuggled closer to him. "Did they tell the other people?"

"Jor-El tried to, but they didn't want to believe him. They said that there was another reason for what was happening."

"What did Lara and Jor-El do then?" Michaela whispered sleepily

"They promised not to tell anyone else, and they promised to stay there. But you see, they had a baby," Jason said and stopped as his dad come into the room. Michaela was asleep and she didn't make a sound as she was lifted into his strong arms.

Once they were gone, Jason thought about that story, one his father had told him lots of times and wished that they could be like that, only not as stubborn as the Council had been when his Grandfather told them that they were in danger. Sometimes he wished he could meet Jor-El, and ask him about fighting, to see if there was a way around the basic rule of turning the other cheek.

His father soon returned and was quiet as he sat down on the bed. "What you did today was wrong," he began.

Jason wondered if he should tell him that Mom had already said the same thing, but decided better of it. It was evident by the way he spoke and sat that he was still angry and Jason didn't want anymore punishment.

"I didn't think Michaela would figure it out."

"I'm not talking about your sister, though I'm very ashamed of you for that," he said, making Jason's heart beat painfully in his chest.

"Why did you fight him?"

Jason took in a breath and let it out trying to think of a good reason. "I didn't want to. I was going to do it this morning but I didn't. At lunch Mike said that everyone was waiting for me, and I felt obligated to do it then. I just wanted him to see that I'm not someone he should mess around with."

"So you broke his nose and caused him to lose five of his teeth, and you thought you would teach him a lesson? Jason you are going to be strong, maybe as strong as I am…"

"You don't know that, Dad, you don't know anything like that. Fox even said there were no certainties, or did you forget?" Jason spat, letting his temper get the better of him.

"I think you need time to cool down," his father said as he stood up. Before he left, he leaned forward and gave Jason a kiss on his head. "I love you."

When he was gone Jason reached behind, pulling one of the pillows out from where he was propped up and threw it across the room even though it hurt to do that. He leaned back and bit back the urge to cry, wishing for once that his life would go his way.

* * *

**AN:** _Thank you Htbthomas for the beta read, and thanks to the rest of you who read my stories. Please review, I got alot of hits but very few reviews, and I now allow anonomous reviews too so feel free._


	2. Being Grounded

**Chapter 2: Being Grounded**

By the time Monday rolled around after a full weekend spent in his room, Jason was more than ready to go to school in spite of the pain he was feeling where his rib had been broken and the other cracked. His nose wasn't hurting at all anymore and he could actually breathe through it now. Doctor Klein said that it had to be his Kryptonian makeup that was helping him heal fast, but it wasn't quick enough to allow him to return to school. "Mom I feel fine," Jason grumbled as he tried to sit up more in his bed. He was so tired of being in bed and in his room that he was ready to lose his mind.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you are not going to school until Doctor Klein gives the okay. Are you sure you don't want me or your Father to stay here today?"

His Parents had a big story to cover, and to be all truthful, Jason was ready for them to get out, including Michaela who kept playing _Macho Duck_ over and over again. "I'm going to be okay." He could get up and walk around it just hurt him. Looking into his mother's eyes, Jason could tell she wasn't quiet convinced of that. "Look I've stayed home before alone, and I know I'm still hurt but I'll manage." It took all of his will power not to wipe the kiss off of his cheek that she gave him. Jason still didn't get why he had to be grounded with all that had gone on, and Michaela had forgotten about the fight, so there it was.

As she started out of the room his father entered and Jason shut his eyes feeling his frustration build. "I won't watch TV or anything like that." He felt the mattress sink slightly as his dad sat down and opened his eyes.

"I'm trusting you to keep your word on that," he said calmly, but there was also an underlining tone of authority there as well and Jason knew that he had to be careful.

He was going to break a few of the rules, and he didn't feel nervous as he spoke his next words. "I'll just stay up here unless I get hungry; can I bring some stuff up here?"

"I can do that before we leave if you want." Jason nodded and watched as his dad left the room. The only saving grace in all of this was that he had managed to smuggle a comic book out of his parents' room when they had gone for a walk with his sister. Michaela had her first two wheeler and was anxious to ride it but only if one of them held on, even with the training wheels.

When his dad came back, he had a whole tray full of food, mostly veggies and dip but Jason didn't care so long as he could be lazy. That was right around the time he heard Michaela crying. "What's wrong with her?"

"She doesn't want to go to school without you there. We are going to pick her up this week so she doesn't have to ride the bus on her own, but she's still upset."

Now he felt guilty and couldn't look at his dad. When had life gotten so twisted, he wondered. He felt his dad's hand on his shoulder and sighed. "I wish I could change it."

"Just watch your anger and come to me or Mom if you need to."

Jason nodded and was glad when he heard the car start up. He smiled as he heard Care Bears songs, along with his sister trying her best to sing along. The good thing with Michaela was that she got over stuff fast, and Jason wished he could still do that.

After waiting an hour in his room, Jason took in a deep breath and got out of bed. He would have to be careful and watch TV with it on mute so that if his dad listened in he wouldn't figure things out. There was also the risk of him coming home, but Jason was more worried about him hearing more so than the other. As he stood at the top of the stairs looking down, Jason though about smuggling a few more comics out of his parent's room, in all likelihood it would be safer to do that. There was the slight worry that they somehow set it to know if he watched either of the TV's and with his comics there were so many of those that it was less likely he would get caught.

In the end Jason decided the comic route would be best. He read three of his Ghost Rider comics before he began to get tired and hungry and as he started on the fourth book, he dosed off.

* * *

Much later he opened his eyes and found all of his books gone along with the food. Jason sat up too quickly and bit back a few cuss words hoping that it was his dad who had come in. If it was mom he knew that there would be more trouble. Reaching his hand under his mattress Jason sighed in frustration as he encountered only the box springs. He had been busted. Worse than that, was that he didn't feel all that great and wondered how he had slept through someone reaching to get the hidden comic.

When he heard the knob on his door being turned, Jason thought about pretending to be asleep but the sudden stab of pain in his left side drove all other thoughts away.

His mom came in with another tray along with his pain medicine, something Jason had forgotten about. "It's hurting," he said as she put the tray down.

"I'm sure that is, you have been asleep for most of the day. Once your medicine starts working Dad wants to take you up into the atmosphere to see if the sun won't jumpstart the healing process a little better. After that we will talk about what you did when he and I were at work."

She wasn't happy but she sounded more concerned and Jason felt thankful that he was still hurt for that very reason. "Did you ever break anything?" he asked after he washed down a half of a prescription strength ibuprofen tablet.

His mom had been ready to leave but she sat back down and in a moment she had wrapped her arms carefully around him. Sometimes it was good to have a mother's love, Jason thought as she began to talk. "Well I've never broken anything, but I've sprained my ankle quite a few times."

Jason turned to face her. "How did you do that?"

"Chasing your father on one of our many leads. Before I knew who he was, he would always disappear on me and I would get turned around and my ankle would always go out on me, both of them at one time or another."

"I bet that's worse than my broken rib, and cracked one. I hate this, and I hate Preston."

She pressed a kiss on top of his head and Jason shut his eyes. "Why do I screw things up?"

"Sometimes you have to mess up so that you can learn from your mistakes," she answered.

"I wish learning didn't mean I had to be grounded this much, so how many more weeks am I getting for sneaking my comics?"

"I don't know yet, your Father and I haven't decided what we are going to do about that," she answered as she held him a little closer.

Before he could ask her more about her sprained ankles the door opened and dad was waiting wearing the suit, with a sobbing Michaela in his arms. Jason watched as his mom stood up and as dad put his sister in her arms.

"I want to go with Daddy and Jason," she cried as they left the room.

Once they had gone, Jason got up and the two of them went down into the basement where the secret entrance was. His side was still hurting and when his dad picked him up and he was cradled against his body, Jason felt the warmth radiate through his short sleeve shirt and pajama bottoms. The heat made everything feel a little better. "Did you know Mom sprained her ankles?" Jason asked as his dad flew them through the tunnel.

He felt and heard his father's chuckle right as they arrived at the exit of the tunnel. While still being held, Clark opened the door and floated out into the darkening world. Once the door was sealed, Jason felt his father's grip on him strengthen and then they were shooting up into the air. Jason shut his eyes and laughed as he felt his stomach flip flop. Suddenly he felt radiating warmth and when Jason opened his eyes they were far above the ground, higher up than he had ever been, but for some reason he could breathe. He felt his body warm and the stinging in his side all but went away. "I guess I still have a chance to have some powers if the sun can do this to me," Jason said softly.

"I don't have any doubts on that. I heard what you said about Preston."

As Jason began to talk they flew, and the anger he had been feeling early was starting to go away. "It just gets frustrating. Everyone wanted that fight and I knew if I didn't do it I would have been made fun of for the rest of my life. I bet you never had anything like that when you were in Kansas."

"That isn't true. I think wherever you go people tend to pass some sort of judgment on you, and that is terribly unfair. I also think that there is more to what happened with Preston than that."

Dad always knew how to cut to the chase. "When I was eight, right after Mom got back from Arlington, when Grandfather had his heart surgery, I went to Preston's birthday party. He had these soldiers that were some antique things, not really for playing with but we did anyway. I had one he wanted and he grabbed it out of my hand. It broke and his mom saw and she spanked him in front of all the guys. Everyone laughed, I guess I did too, but ever since then he's just gotten to be a real idiot."

They had come to a stop and Jason looked out below them seeing blue waters. "How do you know where you're going?

"After as many years as I've been flying, I just know by the way the land looks below me. We are above the Caribbean right now. See those islands?"

It was hard to see but focusing harder Jason managed. "Wow, they look so little from up here. Can Michaela fly this high with you?"

"Not yet, but she has a while to go before her body will be able to withstand the thinning of the atmosphere, and the lack of oxygen from this height."

When they began to fly again, Jason felt tired but somehow refreshed. He wanted ask his dad more about that but was soon asleep.

* * *

"Jason, wake up. Mommy says you got to get up because you are going to work with them. I want to go too but I'm going to school because I like it there now."

Upon opening one eye, Jason found his little sister dressed up with her dark hair in pigtails. She was bouncing and was holding her blanket as she sucked on her thumb, something she was doing less of now that she was in school.

"I'm going to work?" he asked, his mind still stuck in the fog of sleep.

"Uh huh. Mommy said so."

Jason had to admit that while he was annoyed at having his wide-awake sister in his room, when he was still half asleep, going to work with his parents would be better than having to be here all day. "Well if I'm going to get up then you have to get out okay?" He managed not to get angry with her, still feeling bad for the fight, and wondered when he wouldn't feel bad.

A half hour later, Jason arrived in the kitchen finding both of his parents at the table reading the morning paper. His breakfast was waiting for him on the counter, and after pouring a bowl of Kix, along with milk and sugar; Jason went to the table and sat down. "What am I going to do at work?"

His dad looked over at him. "Mom and I decided that leaving you here is not helping you. I think maybe helping Jimmy today would be a good start."

If that was punishment, Jason wasn't going to complain. He liked that idea better than eventually going back to school. Once they had finished eating, everyone headed to the car and Jason had a smile on his face the whole way to _The Planet_.

Helping Jimmy was better than being stuck in his room at home, but it wasn't the fun Jason had envisioned. His helping Jimmy was to run things down to editing mostly, and didn't really involve learning how to take pictures. Now stuck in one of the empty offices, Jason was working on his homework that they had gotten when they dropped Michaela off at school.

When he grew tired of figuring out word problems, Jason stood up and walked out of the office and saw his Uncle Bruce talking to his mom. A smile spread across Jason's face as he wove through the many reporters and photographers and got to his mom's desk before he could leave. The short run had caused his side to hurt, and Jason stopped shutting his eyes, willing the pain to go away.

"Jason?" his mom said.

"I just didn't want," Jason paused wishing that he hadn't run at all. When he opened his eyes Bruce had gotten him a chair and Jason sat down. "I just wanted to say hi was all," he said feeling somewhat embarrassed now that everyone was looking at him.

"Everyone back to work!" Perry shouted.

For some reason Jason wanted desperately to get out of there even with everyone returning to work. "Lois, if you don't mind, I'd like to take Jason with me for a couple of hours."

His mom looked at him and nodded. "Jason, take your medicine with you, and you need to take a pain pill at noon."

At a slower pace, Jason returned to the office and got what he needed and then left with Bruce walking a slight distance behind. When they got outside, Jason looked up and was surprised to see that Bruce had driven himself, and in a very nice car to boot.

Jason got in the car without help and finished fastening his seatbelt when his Godfather joined him. "Where are we going?"

Bruce pulled out into traffic and once they were on their way he answered. "I have a few things I need to do around town, and it looked as though you needed to get away."

For a few minutes Jason looked out the window. Traffic was bad even at this early hour, and he didn't know what he wanted to say. "I got in a fight at school. Mom and Dad grounded me even though I got hurt pretty bad, but today they brought me with them. Dad said it's because he wants me to learn some responsibility. He still thinks I'll have powers eventually." That last part was said with doubt in his voice and Jason heaved a sigh.

"Jason, no one knows one way or the other what things will be like when you are older. Fox never said you wouldn't get what you had back. You might have more powers by then," Bruce pointed out as they began to move again.

"What was it like for you, you know, when you were little?"

It was Bruce's turn to be silent if only to collect his thoughts and Jason waited hoping that his godfather wasn't angry at him for asking that question. "Growing up was very painful for me. My parents died when I was young, and it was just Alfred and me after that."

"Do you think that showing a person they are wrong by force is a bad idea?"

"I think that doing what your parents want you to do is the better idea. Jason you will always have decisions to make, some of them every easy and others that are not easy. The question you have to ask yourself before you take action is what effect it will have on those around you. You can't just think of yourself, believe me, that doesn't get you very far."

They had stopped and when Jason got out of the car there were camera flashes all around. A firm hand closed around his forearm, and Bruce guided him into a city building leaving the paparazzi outside. "Will Mom be mad about them taking pictures?"

"I wouldn't worry about that." They went into an office and Jason sat in a soft chair looking at a sports magazine.

"Would you like a drink?" asked a woman with long blonde hair.

"Do you have Sprite?"

"I sure do." She left and in a few seconds came back with a twenty ounce bottle. After thanking her, Jason got back to the magazine and read about some of the new players trying out for the Metropolis Generals, the city's basketball team.

"Are you ready to go?" Bruce asked nearly a half hour later. By then Jason had read most of the Sports Illustrated, and put it aside as he stood up. "Where are we going?"

"I have a few more things I need to do. Are you feeling good enough to keep me company?"

"Yeah," Jason said. They got to the door, and Bruce pulled him close shielding his face as they walked to the car. Once inside Jason felt relieved and hoped the rest of their stops wouldn't be so crazy.

* * *

By the end of the day, the pain was back, and once Michaela was distracted, Jason went with his father for another flight. "Uncle Bruce told me that I needed to think before I acted," Jason said as they floated in the air absorbing the rays of the sun.

"What do you think about that?" his dad asked.

"I think maybe he's right. I was just thinking about how good it would be to punch Preston's lights out and I didn't think about Michaela until she was watching us. How did Bruce's Mom and Dad die?"

They started to fly and Jason looked at the sun trying to figure out in which direction they were going.

"It isn't my place to tell you, but Bruce has a point. You do have to think about others when you are dealing with a situation. I know that when I was out looking for Luthor, I wanted very much to see him hurt and in pain. I could have hurt him and I wanted to but Bruce told me to let that go that I needed to focus on you, Mom and your sister. He was right."

"Did he take care of Luthor?"

"Yes."

Sometimes Jason wondered just what had happened and hoped the man was dead, but had a feeling that he might not be.

They were flying over the ocean again, and Jason felt tired. His father was holding him so that his body rested alongside his, and in the beginning, Jason had done most of the balancing. Now his father had a more secure grip on him, and Jason was slightly under him. "I hope I get to fly."

"It's very useful," Clark replied.

* * *

Two hours later, Clark pulled the covers over his son hoping that their nighttime flights and talks were helping. Jason was obviously going through a trying time, and needed all of the adults in his life to support him. As he left Jason's room, Clark turned to the left and stood outside of Michaela's room smiling. His hearing had picked up her soft humming when he put Jason to bed, and now she was talking to her dolls. Something else that had been on his mind was to spend more time with her, but with work and all that was happening with Jason, Clark had to admit rather guiltily that he had been neglecting that. Quietly he entered her room finding her very much awake.

"Daddy they won't go to bed, I think they need to go flying with you."

"Do they?" Clark asked as he sat down on her mattress.

"Well, if you take me flying I think they will go to sleep," she said as she slipped out from beneath the covers and crawled onto his lap.

Clark cradled her in his arms leaning forward slightly to kiss her forehead. "I promise that tomorrow night I will take you flying, but right now you need to go to sleep."

"But Daddy, I want to fly," she said in a very sad little voice.

It was difficult to deny her anything when she looked at him with those eyes so much like her mother's and with the sad little pout on her lips, but Clark had learned to resist that. "Where should we go?" he asked as he began to rock her.

A yawn betrayed the fact that she was very tired, and her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about his question. "Hmm, I think we should go to the beach." Michaela yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"What should we take with us?" Clark asked as he stood up gently swaying with her still cradled against his chest.

Another yawn, and then, "A bucket, and I can wear my pretty pink bathing suit."

"I like that one," Clark agreed as she shut her eyes.

He laid her down and she shook her head until he began to rub her back. Once she had gone to sleep, Clark went to check in on his wife. It was time to leave them to make his rounds, but all he really wanted was to stay here with Lois.

For once Clark found his wife relaxing in their bed reading a book of some sort. "I'm sorry we were so long."

Setting her book aside, Lois looked up at him with a smile creasing her lips. "He needed that time with you, and I hope these talks are working. Did I tell you that the paparazzi took some photos of Jason with Bruce today?"

Clark sat down on her side of the bed. "You mentioned it. Did he make any headway on taking care of that problem?"

"He said he would. I just wish they would think before they started flashing photos. Jimmy has more sense than that."

"Yes, but he doesn't work for the tabloids either," Clark said right before he leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips. Lois's arms came up and wrapped around his neck, deepening the kiss, before they both heard on the news that a disgruntled operator from the telephone company was holding people hostage, demanding that she and her fellow workers get better work hours.

"I'll try not to be too long," said Clark as he reluctantly ended the kiss.

He was still in his suit and sped down the stairs making it through the secret tunnel in a minute. Once he was outside and everything was secure, Superman shot up into the air and headed toward Connecticut hoping that he could get there before things got out of hand.

* * *

**AN:** _Thank you htbthomas for the beta on this chapter. To everyone else, thanks for taking the time to read. Don't be shy, please please review. I really like hearing from you and it spurs me on. I'll try not to be so long with the updates but I'm trying to take my time with things and work has me way to busy, so anyway press the purple button if you would.._


	3. Chapter 3

**Contemplating**

Seated on a tan sofa next to his mom and sister, Jason looked at the magazine spread across his lap. One whole page had a picture of his father as Superman, and the next was a story about how, over the years, Superman had been able to re-establish that certain calm and safety that had been missing when he had left the planet to find the remains of his home world. Nearly successfully, Jason had managed to block out the noisy chatter of the children around him waiting for a visit to the doctor, and as well his mother's calming voice as she read Pickles the Fire Cat to his little sister. It had been eight days since his grounding and nine since the big fight, and during that time Jason had been doing a great deal of thinking about what his father and his godfather had both been telling him. Their voices rang in his head again and again. "You have to be responsible for your actions."

As he began to turn the page, the nurse's voice calling out for Michaela along with his sister's sudden panicked whimpering drew him away from everything causing him to focus on her and his mom as they stood up.

"Do you want to stay out here?"

Before he could answer, Michaela reached out and grasped his shirt. She hated seeing the doctor, and to be truthful, Jason couldn't blame her. "I'm coming, Kayla," he said, glad when she let go of him to hide her face in their mom's shoulder.

Moments later they were in a small exam room, and Michaela was softly crying as their mother did her best to comfort her. He really did feel for his sister, and after a moments thought, Jason put his back pack down and unzipped it pulling out his hacky sack. "Hey, Michaela, watch this," he said, hoping to draw her attention away from the impending visit with the doctor.

For a moment she remained in her frightened state, but then she slowly lifted her head and turned to face him.

With Michaela's attention on him, Jason began to bounce the hacky sack against his foot before performing tricks, actually getting a smile from her before the rattle of the door spooked her back into hiding.

"I want my daddy," Michaela sobbed as the door opened and Dr. Franklin stepped inside.

Jason began to snicker. "Michaela, turn around and look," he said.

When she did, she too began to snicker a bit, for the doctor was wearing a blue clown nose and a lopsided red top hat.

With the doctor making silly faces, and his mom now seated on the exam table holding Michaela on her lap as he began to examine her, Jason's thoughts returned to his responsibilities. Someday there would be a point when he, Jason Kent would possibly inherit the job of his father. There was no way of knowing if he would be as powerful as Superman, but one thing was clear – he needed to get his act together. The odd thing was that he was still a kid, but in many ways he had been forced to grow up due to what he had been through. So far Michaela had not had to go through all the things Jason had been forced to endure because of Luthor at around his age, but there was always that underlying risk.

"No shots," Michaela said adamantly as a nurse entered with a tray. She had been at ease with Doctor Franklin, but was now squirming to get off the table as the nurse began to prepare for the inevitable.

Remembering what it was like to get poked and prodded, Jason got up from the seat he had taken just moments ago and walked over to the table. "Do you want to hug me?" he asked. A lot of the time Michaela was a pain in his rump but this week during his grounding, she had been sneaking in to his room with some of her books and had been making him drawings, to keep him from losing his mind.

"I want my daddy," she whispered as she continued to hug their mom unaware that the nurse was now ready to give her the shot of penicillin she would need to help her get over her ear infection.

There wasn't much he could do… or was there? "Wait," he said, causing the nurse to stop what she was doing. "I have an idea," he said as all three adults looked at him in a state of slight confusion. Again Jason went for his backpack, this time pulling out his iPod Nano which had one of his sister's cartoon shorts loaded on the hard drive.

Already his mom was smiling in approval and in a second Jason had the video ready for Michaela to watch. Holding the Nano with one hand, Jason put the head set over her head and in a moment she was calmer. A second was all it took for her to go from that state to sheer panic as their mom tried to lay her down. "So much for that idea," Jason muttered as she began to scream. With super-hearing it was hard to focus on anything else, and for that reason Jason left the room. As he opened the door to the lobby his dad greeted him. "She's in panic mode," he warned, though his father already knew that.

* * *

A knock at his door several hours later ended the boredom he had been dealing with for most of the week. Michaela had gone to sleep in their parents' room and even with Lucky to keep him company, Jason had done all the thinking he was capable of. "Come in," he called out, as Lucky hopped off the bed.

Just as soon as the door opened, she ran out, likely needing to have a pee break. With the loss of Lucky's company, Jason gained his dad's, which was who he really wanted to talk to. Jason waited as his father took a seat in his desk chair.

"Your mom couldn't say enough about how helpful you were with your sister," Clark began.

"I kind of remember what it was like to get poked like that, and those kinds of shots hurt like crazy," he offered.

"I'm grateful that you were there to lend a hand. She also said she is worried about you."

That came as a surprise. "Why?"

"She told me that you haven't been very talkative today, and that you have been distant."

Now was the time and Jason wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about all the things that had been on his young mind. "I guess I have been thinking about what you and Uncle Bruce said about taking responsibility for my actions."

When his dad sat down on the edge of his bed Jason moved over letting Clark lean back against the pile of pillows at the head board. "When will I start to learn about my powers?" So far only a handful had developed, super-hearing, super-strength, and super-speed, but the later only came in times of stress.

"It has been a long time since I have talked about taking you to the Fortress of Solitude. Perhaps it is time to take that step. Jason, I wish I had those answers. For me it was after my eighteenth birthday. You see, in the ship that my father built for me to come here, was a crystal. That crystal called out to me one morning and by instinct I knew that I had to leave and go north."

"I bet Granny was sad for you to be going away?" Jason said as his father put his arm around him. Jason leaned against his left side stifling a yawn as he continued.

"It was a very difficult time for her, yes, but I could not avoid what was to become my destiny."

Over the next hour and a half, they talked about the Fortress and some of what his father had learned. Jason was told about the first time his mother had gone there, learning about how his father had given up his powers, something he had known about but had not gotten details until now.

"We were so in love, I was so in love that I was blindsided. I thought giving up my powers was the answer but that soon proved to be disastrous. You see, on Krypton there were three very powerful and dangerous criminals. My father and the Council banished them to the Phantom Zone, a place that no one thought they could escape from."

Jason wanted to hear more, but his mom interrupted to tell his dad that Superman was needed. It was a true emergency, and after he left, Jason was glad that his mom stayed in his place.

"Were you scared when the criminals from Krypton came to earth?"

"Very much so. They were very dangerous and they wanted to rule the Earth." As she talked, she began to get out his clothes for tomorrow. Usually that bothered him, but tonight for some strange reason it comforted him. "You need to get ready for bed. I'll bring dinner up to you," she said as she leaned over him and gave him a kiss.

"Do I have to eat in here, alone?"

She must have noticed that it was bugging him, because she smiled and waited for him to slip on his house shoes. In a moment the two of them were walking down the stairs, not talking, but that suited Jason just fine. His dad had given him more to think about.

Once seated at the table, Jason wondered what it would be like to go north to the Fortress. He knew from overhearing some of his parents' discussions that his mom was not a big fan of that place, something about his grandfather not approving of her, but he also thought that had been resolved.

A bowl of his father's vegetable soup set in front of him drew his attention back to the present and as his mom sat down, Jason wondered if he could ask her about the Fortress.

"You have been very quiet today," she observed as she took a spoon and dipped it into the soup.

It was now or never. "I have had a lot to think about. I sometimes don't like being Superman's kid because it isn't like being a normal kid. I love Dad more than anything else but I feel like there is so much expected of me. I mean I'm almost a teenager and I bet half the kids in my class haven't had to deal with the things I have. I guess if I have to be responsible, I want to know how to deal with my powers. I think maybe I need to go with Dad to the Fortress of Solitude."

He watched as his mom sat very still with her spoon half-lifted to her mouth. By the expression on her face he could tell she wasn't comfortable but she quickly looked away for a moment. "Jason, I…" She stopped looking at him again. "I didn't have a good experience with Jor-El. That was the one part of my stay where I didn't feel worthy of being with your father. I just don't want to see you hurt if he says something that isn't nice."

That gave him more to think about and Jason began to eat his soup. What could his grandfather say that would possibly hurt him? Did he think that human beings were lower forms of life than Kryptonians? Even so, Jason still felt he had the right to go with his father and see, and if his mom's fears were true, then he would deal with it. "I still want to go if Dad is willing to fly me there."

"Mommy, my tummy hurts," Michaela said putting an end to the conversation.

In a way Jason was glad for her distraction and after he finished his soup, while his mom tended to his sister, he went back to his room shutting the door. Could his life get anymore confusing to deal with?

* * *

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, his dad was calling out his name and when he opened his eyes both of his parents were there. "I didn't do it," Jason mumbled sleepily.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Your mom and I have been talking and she agrees that you need to go to the Fortress. I've already talked to Perry and he has agreed to let me have time off."

That got his attention and in a moment he was fully awake sitting up in bed. "But what if Grandfather doesn't like me?" He thought about what his mom had said and now that worried him, and at the same time it bothered him.

It was his mom who answered him. "Jason, I shouldn't have told you about that before letting you have a chance to meet him. I don't know how he will react, but the thing you have to remember, and the thing your father has tried so hard over the years to get me to see, is that the person you will see is just a whisper of Jor-El's past. He doesn't have the view of this world that your father does, so try not to worry."

That was strange, seeing his mom not so upset about him visiting the Fortress. It was also confusing and a tad frustrating but Jason kept a tight hold on his emotions wanting to go and see what Jor-El would say.

When they left Jason began to get dressed and packed his backpack with warm clothes, several sweaters, some long underwear, and long shirts. He didn't know how cold it would be, but he didn't care. Maybe now he could figure out what he was supposed to do. Maybe now things would start to make more sense.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: To the Fortress and Back Again**

The cool evening air blowing on his face, along with the comfort of being held in his father's protective embrace as they flew, had almost a drowsing effect on Jason. His back was pressed along the length of his father's chest giving Jason a clear view of what was below them. He yawned slightly before he realized that the wind in his face was getting a little colder. "Where are we, do you think?" he asked.

"We are flying over Manitoba; see the lights down below us?" When Jason nodded, his father continued. "That is the capital city of Winnipeg."

"Do you ever get in trouble for flying into other countries?" That thought had occurred to him many a time, but Jason had never thought to ask that until now.

"I have never had any trouble with that. Most of the time I fly fast enough that their radars don't have time to track me."

For a moment Jason was silent. "So you can fly faster than this?"

"Much faster, but right now I'm going at a speed that your body can withstand."

Again Jason thought about that, wondering just how fast they were going, but a flock of geese flying just beneath them caught his attention. "Have you ever flown into a bird?" Jason grinned as he felt the rumble of laughter in his father's chest.

"I have been lucky enough to avoid that. Though the first time I took your mother flying we did manage to spook a few doves."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Was she afraid when you took her flying for the first time?"

"Well, the first time I saved her, she was falling off of the roof of the _Daily Planet_. The 'copter she was in malfunctioned and I caught her, and then the 'copter."

"I didn't mean that time. I mean the time that she wrote the interview for Uncle Perry."

"I think she was scared at first, until she realized that I wasn't going to let her fall."

Again Jason fell silent thinking about flying and about his own abilities. The whole point of this trip was to get some answers from his grandfather. He knew that it wasn't really Jor-El they would be seeing and some of that was still confusing to him but at the same time that didn't bother him. "Will I be able to ask him questions of my own?"

"Not at first. Do you remember when Luthor took the crystals?"

Though that was something Jason tried to forget, he nodded his response.

"After that when I had time to go back and regenerate them from the green crystal my father had sent. I programmed it so that they would only respond to my touch. I will program them to your touch and one day when Michaela is old enough, to hers."

"When you do that, will he know who I am?"

"Yes and no. Your grandfather never thought that I should have any other purpose than serving humanity. He never had the chance to think on that much, but once the crystals are programmed to respond to you, you will be able to ask any question you want.

"But Mom said he didn't like her."

For a moment his dad didn't answer him and Jason wondered if he was mad. "The programming in the crystals is meant to evolve. His response was due to my choice to give up my powers, and when he saw her he was able to connect the two. In a way the program of my father is a very complex version of Artificial Intelligence."

"Like a robot?"

"Not exactly, but I guess maybe you could think of it as that," Kal-El answered.

It was dark now and Jason noticed that it was getting cooler. He was glad when his dad pulled the cape further around them and started feeling drowsy again.

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah," Jason admitted. They stopped flying and in a moment his father had shifted him so that he was cradled in his arms with the cape secure around him. As they started to fly again Jason looked at him and then away. He felt almost too old to be held in that manner but at the same time he was now much warmer than he had been, and the wind wasn't as cold against his face. Soon it was all he could do to keep his eyes open and within another minute he had fallen asleep.

* * *

The flight had taken much longer than his usual time and when Kal-El touched down in the Fortress he walked over to the circular bed. He pulled the sheets back before he leaned forward and laid his sleeping son down. At first he had been hesitant to bring Jason here for fear of what his father might say, but now he wasn't so worried. It was clear to him that he should have done this long ago, and once Jason was settled with the covers around his body, Kal-El kissed his forehead and lifted off the ground to fly out into the main part of the Fortress.

He landed on a high platform and held out his hands. A blue light scanned over them and then the floor in front of him began to move and change. The crystal console rose before him, and when it finished forming, Kal-El reached out to take the largest crystal out and put it into the appropriate slot. The lighting in the main cavern dimmed before the familiar voice of his father began to speak.

"My son, it has been a long time since we last spoke."

"I know, Father," he said, as the image of Jor-El appeared before him in the crystal walls. "I have come here because my son has questions about his heritage."

There was a long pause before Jor-El began to speak. "The child you spoke of before who your enemies tried to harm? He will not be able to perform the tasks you do now."

"But if he decides to help humanity as I have, then he must know about his Kryptonian heritage. I can tell him the things that I remember but you are the one who knows the most."

"You must bring him before me." The room was silent as Jor-El faded away.

Lifting off the ground, Kal-El flew back across the large chamber into the bed chamber where he found Jason awake. "You heard him?"

"Yeah," Jason said as he rubbed his eyes

"Are you ready?"

When Jason nodded, Kal-El flew him out to the platform and had Jason place his hand on the smooth surface of the console. A blue light scanned across it, and then he had his son move it away. "Here, put this crystal in that slot," Kal-El said as he lifted his son up and handed him the father crystal.

The crystal in his hand was heavier than it looked but smoother than he had thought it would be. Jason put it in the slot and leaned against his dad as the lighting of the cavern dimmed.

"Welcome, Jason," said the image of a man he had only heard about.

"How come you know who I am?"

Jor-El explained the complexness of his memory banks and cell storage, but Jason didn't really understand that. After his grandfather finished, he decided on a question that would have a more understandable explanation. "Why can't Superman make people listen to him? He is smarter, and on Krypton your people didn't fight anymore, so why can't we just tell them what to do?"

"On our world there were times of great wars, when our people killed for things that now seem so insignificant. There were different views, much like on your Earth, Jason. The people could not agree and so they fought. There were larger numbers of Kryptonians who began to feel that the fighting was not accomplishing anything, and that their differences were not as important as when the wars first began."

His grandfather spoke for a long time, and Jason listened to all he had to say. There were some things that he did not understand, but there was quite a bit more that he did.

"In the end, the people began to realize that having a society that helped one another, to better themselves – was much better than war and fighting." Jor-El finished.

"Do you know how old I am?"

"By my reckoning, you are 11 years old on your Earth."

"I got in a fight with a boy at my school. He picks on my sister and is mean to me, so I punched him. Is that bad since I'm still just a kid?"

"I think you have the answer within you. How did you feel when you brought harm to another person?"

That wasn't what he had expected and Jason looked down, and then behind him realizing that his dad wasn't there. For a moment he worried but then looked back at his grandfather. "I felt bad because it scared my sister, and I guess I didn't like making the other guy hurt. But kids don't listen if you try and use reason."

"Do you believe if these people that you speak of had a good example in their lives that they might change?"

Jason sighed and nodded. He was feeling tired and again his mind was jumbling around with everything he had just learned.

"Father, the hour is late here, Jason and I will visit at another time.

"Yes," Jor-El said before he looked back at Jason. "Try to think about all you have learned this evening, Jason."

He faded away again and Jason sighed as he turned toward his dad. "It would take more than just me to be a good example at my school," he said as he let his father pick him up.

"Yes, but I think what your grandfather wants you to do is to think about that, and how you can help now."

They touched down in another part of the huge chamber and Jason was surprised to see a table and some chairs, and food waiting for them. "Chinese," said the young boy as he walked over and touched his hand to the chair. He thought it would be cold because it looked like the same crystal that the Fortress was made of, but Jason was surprised to find that it was not as he sat down. "When did you get this?"

Clark smiled before answering, "While you and your grandfather were talking. Do you still like snow peas?"

Jason nodded eagerly, it had been a really long time since they had Chinese, mostly because his dad cooked for them, and packed lunches for school and even for work if it was going to be a late night. Once the food was put in front of him, Jason noticed the bamboo plate and looked at his dad. "Where did you go to get this?"

"A little place I know in China," he said as he took some authentic looking chopsticks and began to eat.

Soon they were both eating and talking about all sorts of things. Jason was glad that they had come here and hoped that they wouldn't have to leave for a while. There were still things he wanted to know, and to be truthful, having his dad all to himself felt good.

Once they had finished one of the best Chinese meals he had ever eaten, Jason went with his dad into the bed chamber he had woken up in. He was surprised to find the bag of clothes he had packed. He dressed quickly and slipped under the covers. "Are you going to check on the world while I'm asleep?"

Clark walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes, but I won't stay gone for too long, and if you need me just call for me, I will be listening. Are you okay with me doing that?"

For some reason being here alone didn't seem so bad. "Yeah I think I am." He yawned and snuggled down against the pillows. "Dad, do you think tomorrow I can see what Krypton looked like?"

"Yes. I need you to stay in this chamber while I'm gone. If you need to use the bathroom, go through that passage," Kal-El said as he pointed to an opening to the left. "It leads to a smaller chamber with a toilet," he said as Jason grinned at him.

That was surprising to Jason, but also brought another question. "How do we…" Jason paused as he yawned. "How do we take showers?"

"I'll show you in the morning. Get some rest."

Once his father had given him a kiss and was gone, Jason lay listening to the sounds. Faintly, he thought he could hear the wind blowing from outside, and as he listened he held his hand up to see if he could feel any breeze. When there was nothing to experience, Jason pulled his hand under the covers and shut his eyes and soon found sleep without any problems.

* * *

The sun was rising when Superman sank into the depths of the Fortress from the only entrance left available. He had learned a valuable lesson thanks to Luthor, and had redesigned the only entrance at the top. The other thing he had done was to blend it in better to the surrounding structures so that it would not be easily found on radar, or even from a plane far above.

His hearing picked up on Jason's steady breathing and when he landed in the bed chamber he quickly changed into a warm pair of pajama bottoms before walking over to where his son slept. Jason was huddled on one end of the bed but not due to being too cold. At home he had a double bed and always slept in one small part. Clark sat pulled the sheets back and Jason sat up startled. "It's just me."

For a moment, he looked around the dimly-lit chamber before he nodded and settled back down against the pillows. "I feel really tired," he admitted as Clark lay on his side facing him.

"You haven't been asleep for very long, and there isn't any urgency for us to have to wake up soon," he said softly.

Jason nodded before drifting back into a much needed rest. For a long time Clark lay watching him. His thoughts went back to a time a few years back when he, Lois and the kids had gone to Disneyland for Lucy's wedding. Back then he had been talking about trying to find ways to be there more for his family, and now he was realizing that he had not upheld the promise he had made to himself. He love being a journalist, but that and helping the people of this planet didn't leave him much time for anything else, including his kids and wife.

Being Superman was a part of his heritage and one aspect of his life which he could not give up, nor would give up. It was a part of who he was, but being a reporter was a job that he had control over to change. _When I get home I need to talk to Lois about finding better ways to spend time with our children_, Clark thought as he shut his eyes. There were many things to talk about, but right now his body required rest. After reaching out to listen for his daughter and wife Clark slipped into sleep saving the worries at hand for another time.

* * *

After breakfast and a bath, Jason and his father talked about everything he had learned from Jor-El, mostly about how the Kryptonians had developed their utopian society. "Do you think that we are capable of that?"

"I think that we all have the potential to get along. What causes the problems are different ways of thought and the lack of understanding one another and respecting ones beliefs."

"How can I see Krypton?" More than anything Jason had hoped that somehow he would be able to see his father's home world, and somehow find a connection to that.

When his dad stood up Jason followed him out to the edge of a chasm. Soon he was gliding over that, and in a moment the touched down on the platform where the console rested.

Moments later his grandfather was there. "I would like to see what Krypton was like," Jason stated softly.

"Close your eyes Jason," his grandfather commanded gently.

He did and for a moment nothing happened. Suddenly he felt like he was flying, and almost like a dream he began to see images and soon realized they were stars. His grandfather's voice surrounded him as he began to talk about the different solar systems they were passing through.

"Krypton once orbited a red sun," his grandfather said. As he spoke those words Jason saw the faint dot of red far out before him, almost like the sun he had seen on his ceiling at the old house. As the stars formed before his eyes he began to recognize the pattern and they were soon hovering over the planet. The light from the sun should have blinded him, but it didn't.

"The planet Krypton and the stars surrounding it were formed long before the planets and stars of your system. The gravitational field of our once thriving world was very dense in comparison to earth…" As his grandfather spoke they seemed to be flying over the planet, and Jason began to see crystal structures which were explained to him as the buildings that people lived and worked in. He was taken to a place called The Valley of the Elders where he saw the statues of all the Great houses, including the house of El.

"I first became aware of the anomaly not long after Lara and I were married. I had researched the creation and destruction of many solar systems and was able to determine in a matter of months that our own world was in danger. Our sun was dying and our world had been knocked off its axis. It was drawing closer and closer. When I tried to approach the council, they would not hear what I was saying. They did not want to believe that our perfect home was in danger. I promised not to leave, but Lara and I decided to send your father away. Earth was far behind us in the evolutionary scale, but it would give him the advantages he would need to survive. I also wanted to send them someone who would help them."

There was silence and Jason started awake finding that he was in his father's arms. "How did we do that?" he asked breathless for a moment.

"Its part of the technology in the crystals, dream travel," he said.

"Is that what you did when you came out here after you left Granny?"

"Yes, but for a much longer time."

"It's sad that they wouldn't listen to him. If they would have you wouldn't have had to leave them," he said.

"Yes, but I never would have come here, and your mom and I would never have met and had you or Michaela,"

That was true. Jason smiled as he reached up and hugged his dad. "I think we need to go home. I kind of miss them, even Michaela," he added as they stood up.

"We can leave whenever you are ready."

It was strange, this morning he had wanted to stay here for at least a few more days, but now he really wanted to go see his mom and his sister. When they were ready, Jason was drawn into his father's arms and wrapped in the cape as they lifted off the ground. It would be a long trip home, but he was more than ready to go and tell his mom and sister about everything he had learned and seen.

* * *

Lois sat on Jason's bed with her arms wrapped around him as he leaned against her left side. For almost a full hour since he had gotten home he had been telling her all about the Fortress and what he had seen. She had never been happier to see him, or to know that things had gone well.

"I went on dream travel and I got to see Krypton. Dad says that only me and him can do it. But grandfather showed me what it looked like and I wish we could have met them. I think he would have liked all of us."

"I'm glad you had such a good time," she said as she hugged him closer for a moment. "Now you need to try and get some sleep, all that travel is going to catch up to you," she said as she got up and turned pulling the covers over him as he leaned back in the bed.

"I hope that we can go up there more often. Did you know that dad got us Chinese food from China?"

"No, but I'll bet it was good," she said as she leaned in and gave Jason a quick kiss on top of his head.

"Night, Mom, I love you."

"I love you, too." After closing the door to his room, Lois walked next door and stood at the door listening in on the conversation Michaela was having with her daddy.

"And me and Mommy got to go to **Club Libby Lu** and I got my fingers painted pretty pink! See, Daddy and I got this pretty braid in my hair _and _I even got to make my very own lip gloss. It tastes just like a strawberry."

Leaving them to talk about Michaela's day, Lois walked down the hall to her room sighing as she walked over to the bed and sat down. She had missed her two guys but it had been good to have some one on one time with their little girl. Knowing that Clark would be a while, Lois sat down in bed and powered up her laptop, opening the file to an article she was working on for Monday.

As was normal for her, Lois got so wrapped up in her typing that she didn't notice her husband enter the room and was not aware of his presence until she felt the bed on his side sink down. "Did you get her to sleep?"

"Finally. I think that strawberry lip gloss must have given her a sugar rush," he said.

Lois shut off her laptop, more than ready for some alone time with her husband. "I let her get one of those giant lollipops at the mall, and I swear I'll never do that again," Lois said as she leaned in and accepted his kiss. "Jason said you two had a good time, and that you brought him Chinese."

"We did, and it was a special occasion," Clark defended, making her smile.

"I hope this means the end of his fighting at school."

"It might be, but he still has a great deal to learn, Clark pointed out as they kissed again.

* * *

Much later with Lois asleep in his arms with her head pressed up under his chin, Clark lay savoring this quiet moment in time. They had not been interrupted and had made love quite a few times before she fell asleep. These were the times he cherished the most, time to be with his wife and kids, the only place where he felt like a normal man. They were the only ones who ever saw him as he truly was, a man made whole by their love.

* * *

**AN** _Thanks goes to htbthomas for getting this beta done for me before my surgery. I likely won't be updating for a couple of weeks and I apologize in advance for that, but I should be back to update soon I hope. Thanks to all of you who read my stories and if you would please review, those are really appreciated... _

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	5. Chapter 5

_Before you start, this chapter is going to start a slightly higher rating due to the darkness of the content. There is physical abuse to Sarah in this, but just suggested and nothing sexual. I wanted to make sure anyone about to read this knows that before going on.._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Sarah**

The food on her tray wasn't all that appealing, and Sarah sighed as she tried to figure out which item she would be able to stand putting in her mouth. As she speared what she supposed was a green bean, a familiar voice said, "I wouldn't eat that if I were you."

Sarah looked up as Jason slid into a seat across from her, and felt her heart flutter just a little bit. He never sat with her during lunch, and with Rebecca still sick, she had been eating by herself. "Well, it's either this or starve." She put her fork down as Jason dug into his backpack and pulled out a plastic container.

"You need to learn to bring your lunch," he said as he pushed the container to her.

Before she could respond, one of his friends grabbed his shoulder and whispered something to him. Jason laughed shaking his head. "Hey, I gotta go, but you can have that," he told her as he stood up and left with his buddy.

For a few moments, she sat staring at the container, wondering why he had sat down her.

"Hey, Sarah, what did Jason say to you?" a girl called Melanie asked.

"Um, he said I shouldn't eat this stuff they are trying to pass off as food and gave me some of his lunch," answered Sarah, as the other girl sat down in the seat he had just vacated.

"He's really nice like that, sometimes. I don't know why he's popular though, because he's always hanging out with Rebecca. But they have been friends since we were all in kindergarten. The other guys haven't ever made fun of him, though… So what did he give you to eat?"

Slightly confused by the sudden attention she was getting, Sarah looked back at the container and opened it up, finding a meat filled sandwich inside. She took it out, and took a bite. "I have no idea, but whoever made this really knows how to cook."

"Well, if you want to, tomorrow you and Rebecca can come sit with us. She usually does, but well, she's been with you, so anyway, bye."

Taking another bite of the sandwich, Sarah tried to figure out if she should take that whole thing as a compliment, or an insult. She figured Rebecca would do what she wanted and was her friend because she wanted to be – not because she felt sorry for her – but maybe that wasn't the case.

* * *

Her next class was with Jason, and she wasn't surprised when he didn't sit with her. That act alone got Sarah thinking about lunch and about her worry that both he and Rebecca felt sorry for her, and that they had befriended her for that reason. Sarah got out her sketch pad and her art pencil once Mrs. Martens told them to sketch the bowl of fruit on each of their tables, and began to work on her assignment.

Sketching came easy for her, and it wasn't difficult for Sarah to complete the assignment before the class was over. She took the time to shade in the fruit and give more detail to it, smiling as her teacher stood behind her.

"Sarah, you are doing quite well at this, have you had lessons before?"

"No, I have always liked sketching things," she answered, ignoring the other girls at her table who began to whisper once their teacher had gone. She didn't care what they thought, and was used to being talked about.

* * *

On the bus, Jason came to sit beside her once he had gotten Michaela settled with her little friend, and Sarah couldn't help but ask, "Are you my friend because you want to be, or because you feel sorry for me?"

The expression on his face told her all she needed to know and she quickly got up and moved to the seat behind them.

"Sarah, I never felt sorry for you. I mean I…"

She cut him off. "Jason, you don't have to explain it, trust me, I've been through this a whole lot. I have never fit in, and I likely never will, so just do me a favor and leave me alone, and tell Rebecca to do the same."

After that he turned around and Sarah felt for the first time in a long time like crying. Jason didn't say anything to her for the rest of the ride and when she got off the bus and looked at him, he was reading a book. _You wanted him to leave you alone_; she thought as she got of the bus and walked down the side walk to the city building.

Her father's office was on the top floor, and when she arrived, his secretary Grace smiled and greeted her. "He's in a meeting right now, and said that you needed to have Frank drive you home."

"I figured he would want that," she said softly, as Grace paged for Frank to meet her out front. Once she was back outside, Sarah considered going to the park. It was only five blocks away, but then she knew better. Her father liked things his way, and his way was all that mattered. Once the car had arrived she sat down in the back seat and tried to ignore Frank, who always starred at her through the rearview mirror.

* * *

Seated in Richard's old office, Jason was deep in thought over the events of the day. For the life of him, he could not figure out what he had done to make Sarah mad at him, and that was frustrating. He was starting to get frustrated. _Why did girls have to be so complicated? Why didn't they come with some sort of book of instructions like the model planes he used to build with Richard? _These thoughts kept him from being able to focus on his work, and after staring blankly at a page in his history book, Jason gave up and closed it.

He walked out of the office and over to his mom's work station. "Mom?"

She was typing and finished with whatever she was doing before she looked at him expectantly.

"Can I go to the park without Michaela?" He already knew she would suggest taking her, but then again Michaela was in an after school program down at the daycare so maybe she wouldn't.

"If you promise to stay at the park," Mom answered.

"I will." He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

She nodded and got back to typing. Jason turned, nearly running into Jimmy. "Whoa, sorry," he said.

"Not your fault, I need to get these uploaded before the Chief has my head."

He didn't stay to talk, and Jason dodged a few other people before on his way to the office where he grabbed his brown jacket before heading for the elevators.

* * *

A cool breeze greeted Jason as he walked out of the building. After such a hot summer, it was nice to have it cool enough to wear a jacket. At the curb, he looked across the street and toward the park down the block, remembering that he had just told his mom he would stay there, but he also wanted a chance to talk to Sarah. Since the city building wasn't too far away, Jason turned right and began walking.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the city building and after he entered, taking his hands out of his pockets, Jason took the elevator to the top floor. The doors opened to the Mayor's office and he was greeted by a woman with long, blonde hair. "Hi, I'm Jason Kent. I was just wondering if maybe Sarah was here."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, she has already gone home for the day, but if you want, I can send a message home with her father."

Jason thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah, I'll just talk to her at school tomorrow."

He turned to leave and heard a door open from behind him. The elevator opened and as he was about to step in Sarah's dad called out, "Wait just a moment, there."

Jason looked back, and faced a man who was almost as tall as his own father. "Sorry, I was just looking for Sarah."

"What business do you have with my daughter, young man?"

For a moment, Jason wasn't sure what to say, or if this guy was for real. "Um, I just wanted to tell her I was sorry, I got her all mad at me is all."

The man standing in front of him furrowed his brows, staring intensely at Jason before saying, "She's got a good head on her shoulders, and I don't need anyone messing that up," he said.

Jason backed up a little and barely made it into the elevator before it closed. "Geez, I thought my mom and dad were bad," he mumbled.

Back outside, Jason made a mental note not to say anything to Sarah about his visit, and made it back to the park in record time. He walked over to the playground and sat down on one of the swings, wondering if her outburst today wasn't a result of her dad. It was hard not to feel sorry for her, but Jason decided to try and make it up to her if he could.

* * *

The drip of water and the damp darkness of the room she now occupied used to terrify her. Sarah remembered the first time she had made him angry, and how hard she had cried when he had left her in the basement for an entire night. When her father let her out the next morning, he had hugged her and told her how very important it was for her to do exactly what he wanted.

When she was a little girl that had been fine, but now Sarah was almost a woman, and she had her own opinions. When her dad got home he had burst into her room and grabbed her arm, pulling her up off the bed.

Sarah rubbed her hand over her lip wondering if it was as swollen as it felt. It was too dark to see, and there weren't any mirrors down here, anyway. He hadn't even said why he was angry, and she was sure she would hear about it soon enough.

The sudden turn of a doorknob drew her attention to the sound, and Sarah had to cover her eyes as the light came on.

"I don't want you to talk to any boys at your school; they mean trouble for you, Sarah. One of them came by the office today, what did he do to make you mad at him?"

"Jason," she mumbled softly.

"What?"

"He said he wanted to be my friend, and he did it because he felt sorry for me." Sarah realized that she could be wrong, but her anger and pain kept her from admitting that. She also knew what her father wanted to hear, and continued. "Don't worry – I'm not going to talk to him anymore."

She looked up at her father as he glared down at her. Sarah looked him in the eye and watched as his expression softened. "Go on and get that lip tended, too. If it's bruised, I want you staying home. I'll call in tomorrow and let them know you have come down with the flu."

Once he had gone, Sarah climbed the steps and walked down the hall into the kitchen where she climbed a second set of steps. In the hallway she turned left and went down to her room. After the door was closed, sat down against it, and drew her legs up hugging her arms around them as she rested her forehead against her knees. It was almost a miracle that her dad had finally allowed her to attend school. Always before, she had tutors educating her. Sarah tried hard to remember the happier times, and sighed. When she was a little girl, making him happy was the most important thing to her. When he was happy he took her places, and he even laughed. Now it was rare that he ever smiled, and she felt somehow responsible.

After she stood up, Sarah walked over to her closet, pulling the door, which sometimes stuck to the frame, open. In the back of her closet she moved some blankets aside and pulled a box from out of the left corner. Once seated on the hardwood floor Sarah pulled the blue and gray striped skirt she had worn to school down over her legs, Sarah opened the box and began to pull out several pictures, most of them brown with age, due to the fact that they had never really been properly stored.

There was enough light from her room for her to see the photos. The one she loved most she held up, tracing her right index finger over the faded image. She shut her eyes, and tried to remember that time, and the woman who held her in her arms. Talking about her mom was the thing that always got her into the most trouble with her father. He said that her mother had left them not long after she turned three and that they were much better off alone. Now that she was getting older, and more independent, Sarah wondered if her dad was telling the truth.

After looking at the picture for another few minutes, Sarah put it, along with the other pictures, back in the box and got up. Once she had pushed it back into the corner, Sarah placed the blankets back on and around it. "If he found out," she whispered, as she shook her head, causing her long, blonde hair fall down around her face.

* * *

"What about over there?" Jason pointed to the right corner of the puzzle he and Michaela had been working on since they arrived home from _The Planet. _

She was sitting on his lap with her head tilted slightly to the right. "Ohh," she said as she leaned forward and put the piece in her hands into place. "Jason, how did you get to be so smart?" Michaela tilted her head back and he grinned at her as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm not that smart. I guess it's because I've been in school for a long time."

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Michaela went back to looking at the puzzle and Jason sighed and shut his eyes. He had volunteered to watch her while their parents went for a walk outside. Jason had hoped that keeping his little sister occupied would take his mind of Sarah and the annoyance and anger he felt about what had happened today, but so far it wasn't working.

"We're back," he heard their dad call out.

In an instant Jason was alone, and he listened as his sister began talking about building the puzzle. Idly, Jason wondered if Michaela would be fickle like Sarah, and sometimes Rebecca. He hoped that if he spent enough time with her he could teach her not to be so strange when it came to being around the other guys… then again, Michaela didn't need to think about boys, ever.

After standing up and stretching, Jason walked out of the family room to the kitchen and past where his parents were sitting at the table listening to Michaela. He was glad that she was keeping them occupied. Up in his room he sat on his bed for a moment, thinking about what he could say to Sarah tomorrow to make it up to her. It was then that his anger flared. Jason grasped his hands into fists and shut his eyes. "What do I have to apologize for? I gave her my lunch and she goes all loopy!"

"Jason, the phone is for you," his mom called out.

He hadn't even heard it ring. He hoped it was one of the guys – to his relief, it was Mike. "He's coming back?" Jason asked. He shut the door once his mom had gone back downstairs.

"Yeah, he's all healed up now… and madder than a snake."

"Why do I get the feeling that I just made things worse?"

"No, no, it's not like that. See he's mad because all of his friends have been calling him, poking fun at the fact that an 11 year old beat the crap out of him."

"I'm almost twelve," Jason defended.

"Yeah, whatever. See, now he can't do anything that won't make the other guys in his class laugh and I just think that's awesome, man."

Jason thought back to his visit to the Fortress and back to that day when Michaela had seen what he had done. In spite of how bad he had felt then and even at the Fortress, it felt good to him that Preston was finally getting payback for all the times he had been a prick. "So, what do the other guys think?" Jason asked as he began to feel a little better.

* * *

Morning's arrival was usually something Sarah welcomed. It meant she could get away from the house and the threat of doing something her father didn't like to a place she really enjoyed; only now she wasn't so sure. As she yawned, Sarah felt a stab of pain in her lower lip and remembered last night all too well. She hadn't looked in the mirror then, but now as she stood in front of her vanity with the light on the left end glowing softly she could see the bruise and the puffiness.

Without warning, her door opened and she turned to face her father, who was dressed in a grey pinstriped suit. "You won't being going to school today. I've already taken care of getting Frank to get your assignments at least for today and if not the next couple. Go downstairs and put some ice on that, and no TV. You can go out to the barn if you want, but no riding today."

Before she could say a word he was gone and Sarah hung her head, feeling her heart pound heavily in her chest. Going back to sit on her bed, the young girl thought very seriously about running away. That thought had been with her more and more, along with the thoughts that somewhere out in the world she had a mother who wanted and loved her.

With the knowledge that her dad would be gone for most of the day, Sarah decided that perhaps it was time to do some digging and see if she could find out something about her mother, and in turn find a way out of this hell her father had created for her.

* * *

**AN:** _I want to thank htbthomas for her superb editing skills. Also thank each and everyone one of you who are continuing to follow Jason's adventures. If you would take the time to write a review as small or as large as you want, those always help and I value your opinions._

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